Title
Towns of Poland, [no. 44]
Subject
Salt mines and mining -- Poland
Carving (Decorative arts) -- Poland
Description
RELIGIOUS FIGURES CARVED BY MINERS IN 900-YEAR OLD POLISH SALT MINE
Devoutly religious and with an inborn flair for sculpture these figures
portraying Christ changing water into wine at the vvedding feast were carved
in salt by ordinary laborers in the 900- year old Wieliczka salt mines, near
Cracow, Poland's ancient capital. They constitute one of many groups in
the ornately carved chapel of St. Kinga, who is reputed to have miraculously
discovered the mine more than 900 years ago while on her way to be crowned
queen of Poland. Throughout the centuries these miners have carved devotional
images in the vast maze of subterranean passages and chambers but many
of them have been partly erased by the erosion of salt due to the dampness
or the earth.
Devoutly religious and with an inborn flair for sculpture these figures
portraying Christ changing water into wine at the vvedding feast were carved
in salt by ordinary laborers in the 900- year old Wieliczka salt mines, near
Cracow, Poland's ancient capital. They constitute one of many groups in
the ornately carved chapel of St. Kinga, who is reputed to have miraculously
discovered the mine more than 900 years ago while on her way to be crowned
queen of Poland. Throughout the centuries these miners have carved devotional
images in the vast maze of subterranean passages and chambers but many
of them have been partly erased by the erosion of salt due to the dampness
or the earth.
Creator
Centralna Agencja Fotograficzna
Rights
Language
Polish
Identifier
LIB-007_0469
LIB-007_0469a.tif
Coverage
Krakow
Is Part Of
LIB-007
Tags
Citation
Centralna Agencja Fotograficzna, “Towns of Poland, [no. 44],” Digital Collections - University at Buffalo Libraries, accessed November 14, 2024, https://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/index.php/items/show/27948.